


Assorted drabbles and ficlets

by TheLannisterBastard



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV), Helix, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-14 17:57:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 9,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3420185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLannisterBastard/pseuds/TheLannisterBastard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Small things I've written for various fandoms that aren't really long enough to be their own works. Fandoms, characters, and ships will be added as they are posted.</p><p>Warnings will be stated at the beginning of each piece. Chapters will be titled with relevant characters and/or ships.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gargalesthesia: Sansa/Podrick

**Author's Note:**

> No warnings needed.
> 
> Sansa is leaving the Vale for Winterfell in the morning so she spends the night with Pod.
> 
> For tumblr user itneedsaying

It was the last night before she left for Winterfell, and Sansa could not sleep, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly in days. Her bare feet took her down the hall without her being conscious of what she was doing until she stood in front of an all too familiar door.

"Pod?" She said softly. "Are you awake?"

The door opened in answer. Pod stood there his hair disheveled and his eyes half closed. So he  _had_  been asleep then. “Sansa? What are you… it’s the middle of the night.”

"I couldn’t sleep, too nervous." She admitted.

He blinked sleepily at her, then opened the door wider to let her in.

Over the past couple of years Sansa had spent nearly as much time in Pod’s chambers as she did her own. After his initial stuttering and her mistrust, after all he had been working for the Lannisters last time she had seen him, she found they got along quite well. He was kind, and knew how to make her laugh even on the worst of days. With Pod around she felt young, like she hadn’t felt since before her father’s death.

The pair of them curled up together on the bed, Sansa tucking her head under his chin.

"I don’t know if I want to go back." She said to his chest. "Winterfell… it was taken by half a dozen different armies during the war, and always by force. Pod they  _burned_  it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle seeing it like that.”

"Oh Sansa, of course you will be able to." He stroked her hair as he talked. "You are the strongest person I know. You lived through King’s Landing, you lived through the war and you’ve lived through this winter. It will be hard, yes, but Winterfell is your home, who but you could restore it?"

She didn’t have anything to say to that, so instead she nestled in closer. At some point she must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes next the sun was starting to peek out from behind the mountains making the curtains glow, but that was not what had woken her. Somehow they had shifted positions, and now it was his head that was tucked into her neck, his hair brushing her nose. Each time he took a breath his head moved a little and the hair would tickle her, it was all she could do to stifle the giggles.

"And what are you laughing about?" He asked when finally she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

"Your hair was tickling my nose." She smiled, placing a finger on his own nose.

He shook his head making his hair brush against her whole face. “You mean like this?”

"Stop it!" She laughed squirming away. Eventually she was far enough away to grab his face. "You are quite awful, you realize that?"

"Not as awful as you, leaving me here alone."

Her face fell. “I don’t want to Pod, you know that. I don’t trust anyone else with the men. Besides, you’ll have to bring them up to Winterfell soon enough.”

"And until then I will miss you every day." He ran his thumb over her cheek.

"I need to leave before you can miss me." She told him, then sighed. "I suppose I should get dressed, the others will be wanting to leave soon, and we have a long two weeks of riding ahead of us."

"Then go get dressed." He said. "And I’ll be waiting at the gates to see you off."

She got up reluctantly, and he walked her to the door. They were still of a height with each other, so she stood on her toes to kiss his forehead. “I will see you later Pod.”

He nodded. “Of course, my lady.”


	2. Underwater Kiss: Missandei/Grey Worm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed.
> 
> On a club trip Dany and co. hang out at the hotel pool.
> 
> For tumblr user celiatully

When Danny had suggested that the team ditch the delegate social Missandei had been disappointed. She had been doing model UN since her freshman year of high school and the socials had always been one of her favorite parts. People from all over came to the conferences and it was always so fascinating to hear conversations going on in as many as five different languages. She loved languages, it was why her emphasis was on linguistics. To miss out on a night like that….

“Danny are you sure we’re even allowed here this late?” she asked as the other girl pulled the gate to the hotel pool open.

“We’ll be fine. It’s not like anyone else is actually staying at this shithole.”

Which was probably true. The hotel the team was staying in was completely run down and not in the best of neighborhoods, but it was all they had been able to afford after the travel costs. There were a grand total of five of them on the team including her. Danny was a senior and the club president, Darrio who was only on the team because he was trying to get into Danny’s pants, her sort of boyfriend Grey who didn’t really talk all that much but when he did he commanded the room, Jorah, the token grad student, and her. Their faculty advisor, Professor Selmy, hadn’t been able to come because of some meeting.

When Missandei stuck her toe in the water is was surprisingly warm so without a moment’s hesitation she launched herself into the water. She relished in the feeling of being entirely underwater for a few seconds then used a foot to launch herself back up to the surface. When she emerged Danny and Darrio had both joined her in the water. Jorah was slowly wading in as well at Danny’s insistence.

“Come on Grey, get in,” Missandei coaxed.

He was standing there in his swim trunks a wary look on his face. “I’m not sure…” he said hesitantly.

She swam over to the edge where he was standing. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

He gave her a confused look to which she just raised an eyebrow. They had been together long enough that he really should have known what she meant. Slowly he sank down to the ground, placing his feet in the water as he did so.

“See, it’s not that bad.”

“I suppose not.” He smiled. Once she saw that he was comfortable she made her move.

Quick as she could she reached out for his relaxed arms and pulled. His fall into the water wasn’t graceful or dignified and when his head came back up out of the water he was spewing a string of vlyarian curses.

“What the hell was that for?” he half shouted.

“Do you trust me?” she asked, a mischievous smirk on her face.

“After that, no.”

“I just needed you in the water for something, Grey. Now again, do you trust me?”

His dark eyes searched her face. “Yes?”

“Good,” she said as she pulled him underwater with her. Once they were under she moved her hands from his and placed them around his face and leaned in. Her lips against his must have startled him because there was a stream of bubbles coming out of his nose.

When they emerged from the water they were both breathless. She could hear Danny and Darrio whispering at the other end of the pool but none of that mattered because of the look on Grey’s face. She had never seen him smile so brightly before.

“Can we do that again?” he asked eagerly.

“Of course.” And so they sank below the water again, smiles on both of their faces


	3. Kiss with a Fist: Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed.
> 
> For tumblr user hornswaggler

She had meant for it to be a playful punch in the shoulder, but somehow she had ended up giving Sergio a black eye.

“Jesus, Anana, I thought we had gotten past beating the shit out of me just for the hell of it.” He was propped up against the headboard, a bag of ice held up to his face.

“How many times do I have to tell you it was an accident,” she said as she ran one of the hotel washcloths under the hot water. “If you wouldn’t have sat down so quickly you would have been fine.”

“You shouldn’t have been trying to hit me in the first place.”

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “You know fully well why I was hitting you, now move your hand so I can clean up this mess.”

He sighed but complied. Already the eye was turning purple, swelling so much that she doubted he could see out of it. The small cut along his brow ridge was still trickling blood getting it all over his face and shirt. He hissed when she touched the cloth to his face but didn’t open his mouth to complain.  

“There,” she said when she was finished. “All better now. The cut isn’t deep enough to warrant stitches but we might want to make a run to get some sort of bandage for it so the cut will stay closed.”

“Considering our next stop is Nigeria that probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.” He was just about to close his eyes again when he reached out and snatched her hand. “Should probably clean that up too.”

It seemed that the blood hadn’t just been Sergio’s. The skin over two of her knuckles had split open and was bleeding just about as bad. She’d seen the blood already but had assumed ti was from him.

His hand wrapped gently around her wrist, the other hand gathering the wet cloth and pressing it gently to her own cuts. She couldn’t help the little hiss that escaped from her. He smirked a little but didn’t comment on it.

“We should probably bandage those up too. They’ll be healed in a few days but better safe than sorry,” he said, setting the blood soaked cloth off to the side. His hands still held hers gently, his thumb rubbing back and forth on the skin above her knuckles.

She reached out and moved his hair away from the cut on his face. “I really am sorry about that,” her voice was soft as she said it.

“I’ve had worse, a cut above the eye is nothing. Besides, it isn’t like this is the first time you’ve had to fix me up. How many times did I manage to pull my stitches out when we were still in the arctic?”

She laughed, “Quite a few.”

Maybe it was because they hadn’t said a word about their kiss in the arctic since it had happened or about the one when they had first gotten into Rio. Maybe it was because of the way that they didn’t talk about the fact that they slept with at least a hand or a foot touching the other every single night. Maybe it was because she knew they both had feelings that they were unable to talk about, but whatever the reason, what she did was the same.

Her hand was already resting against his face so she pulled him forward and kissed him. She was cautious at first but then his hands found the small of her back and any sense of caution went out the window. They had a plane to catch in the morning and would probably hate themselves for it, but for the moment nothing in the world was better than the feel of his mouth against hers.


	4. Safe: Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

She had noticed the disconnect before, but only now had she put everything together. It made sense really, just from what little she knew she knew his past relationships hadn’t really been healthy. They had been a methods of survival or just another job. He was slipping back into those habits. Sometimes she saw it in the way his hands would hesitate or the way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. She heard it in the practiced phrases and in the too long pauses when they talked.

But what could she do? She had tried speaking sweetly and had yelled when that failed. She’d kissed him until their lips were swollen but even then something had been off. Only when she had held his face in her hands and said “ _it_ _'s just us, you are safe here_ " had she finally figured it out. 

Now whenever his eyes would get distant or when his face would slip into a mask she would say the words again.  _You are safe here_. Those moments after when he would smile and it would reach his eyes were the ones that kept her hopeful. They weren’t just two people fighting to stay alive anymore. They were fighting for whatever the hell this was between them and damn it all she was going to make it last.


	5. Vampire AU: Rhaella/Aerys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Abuse, death, dub/non-con

He came to her after every hunt, the red rings around his pupils blown wide with bloodlust and this night was no different. 

She missed the way he had been when they had been human. He had been kind then, at least most of the time. When he had gone on trips with their father he had brought her wildflowers or pretty rocks from the streambeds, once he had even brought her a pair of antlers. The turn had changed him in more ways than one. Now when he came back to her all he brought with him was misery.

“Rhaella my dear come see what I brought you for dinner,” he called from the hallway. She hated the way her name sounded when it rolled off his tongue, hated that his lips curved up into an ominous grin.

In the entry hall Aerys had the boy by the hair, a scrap of fabric tied tight around his mouth the muffle his sobs and zip ties around his hands to keep him from fighting back. There were already bloody puncture wounds in his neck from where Aerys had had his way with him. The poor boy couldn’t have been older than 25 with dark brown hair that stuck in every direction and eyes the color of storm clouds. And the boy would die tonight.

“Well go ahead,” Aerys said, shoving the boy onto his knees in front of her. “Finish him off.”

Rhaella knelt down in front of the boy and gently removed the gag. He didn’t scream but he looked more than ready to attempt to fight his way out. “What is your name, boy?”

His thick eyebrows pulled together. “Brandon. Brandon Stark.” His voice was almost defiant but she could hear the fear.

She leaned in towards the terrified boy. “I am sorry Brandon Stark,” she whispered, letting her fangs brush softly against his ear before sinking them into his neck.

Brandon Stark did not die easily, but he died all the same. By the time she was done with him her eyes were blown as wide as Aerys’ were. That only made his advances more intolerable.

With every mark he left on her body she was given another reason to leave him but he was her brother and she couldn’t do that.


	6. Kiss as a Distraction: Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed
> 
> for tumblr user hornswaggler

She hated that she got giggly when she was drunk. It was so undignified but she just couldn’t help it, which of course was making it at least ten times harder to get her damn key into her front door.

 “How the hell can you stand it out here, it’s freezing,” he whined as she fumbled with the keys to her apartment.

“It’s barely freezing outside so quit your whining.” She swore under her breath as she dropped the keys for the second time. “I don’t want to hear a word out of you.”

“I could pick that in less time than it would take for you to actually get the key in, you know that right?” he said.

“You fell over twice on the flat sidewalk when we were walking over here. Forgive me for not letting you near the lock. Besides I just got it.”

“Oh thank god,” he sighed. “I could kiss you.”

“Then do it.”

Okay so maybe she hadn’t meant to say it out loud but she was beyond caring. Sergio was a friend but she had wanted to do more than kiss him for at least a few weeks now. There was a brief second where he seemed to be calculating something before he moved towards her. His fingers were like ice on her face but that didn’t matter because his lips were very warm.

Using the hand not tangled into his hair she opened the door. She shoved him gently through the door taking a second to catch her breath. The second the door was closed his hands were all over her. For a moment they lingered on her hips before cupping her ass and lifting her up against the door. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled at his hair making him hiss. They broke apart for a moment and he smirked.

“I don’t know what’s more satisfying,” he said against the base of her throat, “doing this or being able to prove a point.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked, her voice ragged as he nipped at her throat.

He held up his free hand. She would have recognized the bright yellow fabric anywhere.

“You stole my wallet? What the hell, Sergio?”

“Just wanted you to see that my hands are perfectly steady even when I’m freezing.” There was a soft thud when he tossed the wallet onto her tiny coffee table. “Now, Anana, how  _are_ you going to punish me for this?”

Now it was her turn to smirk. “Oh I can think of a few ways.”


	7. "That's a good look on you": Steve/Natasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

“You know Nat the dress looks good on you.”

“Can it Rodgers or I’ll put a lance through you,” she said with the sweetest of smiles. “At least you and Barton can still move around freely. Not only is it about a million degrees hotter in this damn thing, the corset makes it impossible to sit comfortably.”

“It’s a renaissance faire and the guy we need is working as one of the actors, we have to be able to blend in with the staff.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m aware, but that doesn’t mean I’m not boiling. Besides, Barton whines about everything, let me be the one to complain just this once.”

“One time only, I’ll hold you to that.”

"Of course you will. Now let’s go grab the guy before Barton finds the archery booth and blows our cover. And who knows, if things go smoothly I might even let you help me take the dress off.”


	8. "Day Ending in Y" (happy): Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed
> 
> For tumblr user hornswaggler

“Why is it so hot here? How can you stand it?”

“Well it’s a Los Angles and a day ending in Y so that’s the why of it, and I grew up in Brazil, I’m used to it. At least here it’s mostly a dry heat.”

“It’s over 100 degrees. There are people walking around drinking hot coffee.”

Sergio shrugged. “104 isn’t that bad, it could easily be a lot worse.”

“You realize I turn fans on when it gets above 60 right? I’m pretty sure if I stay outside for another ten minutes I’m going to melt.”

“Well now you know how I felt when I was stuck up in the arctic. I’m pretty sure I’ll never regain sensation in some of my toes,” he said.

“But you can always just put on more layers when you are cold. I’m pretty sure if I took any more clothes off it would be considered public indecency.”

She could suddenly see a gleam in his eye that only ever made an appearance when he was up to something. “I’ve got just the thing, wait here,” he said before taking off back down the street they had been walking along.

Ten minutes later and he was back carrying a pair of styrofoam cups with bright blue and purple stuff inside. “Hawaiian ice,” he explained. “I figured it probably wasn’t’ something you’d had before growing up on the frozen tundra and all.”

“I spent four years in Anchorage, that isn’t the ‘frozen tundra’.”

“The point still stands, here.” He shoved the blue one into her hand. “Just try it, I promise it’s good. And it will cool you down quicker than being inside.”

“What is it?”

“Just shaved ice and flavored syrup, nothing weird I promise.”

She looked hesitantly at the spoon but took a bite anyway. The first thing she noticed was that Sergio was right, the ice was the perfect thing to cool down. “How much sugar is in this dear lord.”

He chuckled. “You don’t want to know trust me. Just wait until you get to all the juice at the bottom, enough sugar in that to make your teeth rot.”

She smiled at him. “I’ll take your word for it.”


	9. "Day Ending in Y" (sad): Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: death
> 
> for tumblr user hornswaggler

It had been more than an hour since Sergio had left and she was trying to convince herself that everything was fine. It had only been an hour, that wasn’t too bad. When she had made the supply run the week before it had taken two hours and nothing eventful had happened. And hey, they were technically wanted fugitives at this point so being extra cautious was important. She had the burner phone, she could call and make sure he hadn’t gotten killed or caught or anything… She’d just started to dig the phone out of her bag when she heard the key slide into the door.

The state of Sergio’s face did not make her feel better about the situation.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“Ilaria,” he groaned. “Day ending in Y after all. I’m thinking coming to their main city of operation wasn’t the smartest move on our part. At least today’s goon wasn’t someone that knew me personally. I might not like them but it’s still hard killing people I knew growing up.”

He winced as she pressed a damp towel to the cut above his eye. “I’m sorry you have to do that, Sergio. Killing strangers is hard enough, I don’t think I could ever kill someone I grew up with.”

“The sad part is that it isn’t hard, not really, but I’m just so  _tired_ of it. I hate having to look over my shoulder. I hate getting the shit beat out of me. I’m tired of killing. I just want it all to stop.”

The pain in his eyes broke her heart. “It will be over soon,” she said. “Two more kids and then we are done. Maybe we can go find a nice beach somewhere or go back to Cape Town or something. Or maybe we can go north and find some nice little town to stay in. We can go wherever you want, just the two of us.”

“Just the two of us, I like the sound of that.”

She laced her fingers though his. “Yeah, me too.”


	10. "That's a good look on you": Tywin/Joanna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

It was long past sundown and the red keep was asleep which meant she was entirely undisturbed as she wandered through the halls. The torches lining the walls were barely embers but what little light they gave off was enough to guide her on her way. The throne room was downright eerie without all the people packed in around the dragon skulls.

Even when she had been at court as a girl the skulls had never scared her, long dead dragons couldn’t harm her. Moonlight filtered down through the windows casting a haunting glow on the blades of the iron throne. When they had been children she and Rhaella had played on the throne at night. Back then she had longed to sit on the throne, to have power that was her own but she knew now that those were dreams of a child.

Her fingers trailed lightly down the blade of one of the melted swords. “You would look good sitting up there you know.”

She whirled at the sudden voice. “Tywin,” she smiled and carefully made her way down the steps of the throne and over to him.  “You flatter me but we all know they would never let me on that throne, perhaps you could sit there instead.”

“Is being hand of the king not enough?”

She grinned wickedly. “Never.”


	11. "Everything is going to be fine": Sansa/Podrick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

“Pod, breathe, everything is going to be fine. You’ve already met my parents this is nothing new.”

“Going out to dinner with them is a bit different than just saying hello to them in passing or talking to them at Arya’s fencing tournaments.”

“Pod the only boyfriend they’ve ever met before was Joffery, the bar isn’t exactly set very high. They’ll love you I promise.”

“The bar can be on the ground and I’d still manage to trip over it,” he said with a slight note of panic in his voice.

“Which is exactly why everything is going to be fine,” she said, taking a moment to straighten his tie. “The second we sit down they are going to see what a sweet person you are and that you wouldn’t hurt a fly. After what that little monster did I don’t think they will mind if you trip over your words a little bit.”

 


	12. Hand got stuck in a vending machine: Clint/Natasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed
> 
> for tumblr user captainjanewayismypatronus

Natasha had been called out to get Clint out of weird situations more times than she cares to think about but in most instances it had something to do with a mission. This was not one of those times.

“So tell me again how you managed to get your arm stuck in a vending machine halfway across town at nearly three in the morning.”

“I was walking Lucky and things just  _happened_  okay? Now will you help me or no?”

She leaned against the lamp post taking care to avoid what she hoped was red paint. “I don’t know, Clint. Might be more fun for me to just leave you here, I’m sure the press would have a field day with you in the morning.”

“I’m sure they would. Just like I’m sure they would be all over the video of the intimidating Black Widow trying and failing to reach the candy on the high shelf of the pantry,” he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine, but first I need to document this little adventure.”

20 pictures and half an hour of maneuvering later his arm was free, if a little bruised.

“So tomorrow when someone asks where I got the bruises let’s just tell them I got mugged.”

“Deal.”


	13. Christmas on November 1st: Bucky/Natasha/Clint/Bobbi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

_James Barnes: Please get home soon. IDK what the others are doing but I know I don’t like it. I’m pretty sure Clint might burn down the house._

After a 15 hour plane ride it was not the most encouraging message she could have gotten. James wasn’t one to panic so any situation that made him nervous was sure to be a disaster. Which was why she was expecting to see a war zone when the SHIELD car dropped her off in front of the brownstone the four of them lived in.  But as she approached the front door nothing  _seemed_  to be out of place. It wasn’t until she was climbing up the stairs that she spotted the mistletoe and everything clicked into place.

“I’m telling you, the trees you can get in parking lots aren’t worth the money you spend on them,” she heard Clint say as soon as she walked in the door.

“And I’m telling  _you_  that with your luck if we go cut one down we are going to get arrested. Besides how are we supposed to get it back, it’s not like we can get it back here on the subway, hell we can’t even get out to the woods to even get a tree, we don’t have a car.”

“So we’ll borrow one from SHIELD, I doubt they will notice.”

“Something tells me they might notice considering what happened last time you ‘borrowed’ one of the vehicles,” Natasha said as she hung up her coat.

“Oh hey Nat, didn’t hear you come in,” Bobbi said from where she was winding garland around the railing. “How was LA?”

“It was a SHIELD press conference, how do you think?”

“That bad huh?”

“Be happy you got out of it. Now have you two scared James out of the house or is he just holed up somewhere?”

“They didn’t frighten me off, I was just making sure I knew where the fire extinguisher was before  _someone_  caught something on fire again.”

“It was one time!” Clint protested.

“Clint we had to replace half the kitchen. And why on earth are you covered in flour?”

“Christmas cookies.”

Natasha looked down at her phone to check the date. “You do realize it is the first of November, right?”

“Exactly,” Bobbi chimed in from the stairs. “It’s the first day of Christmas.”

“You see what I’ve had to deal with all day? I woke up this morning and there was already mistletoe hanging from the bedroom door. I don’t even want to know what things are going to be like once it’s actually Christmas season.”

She stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Something tells me we’ll manage.”


	14. Snowed in: Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

“So what are you doing for winter break?” Sergio asked. What had started out as their weekly lunch had devolved into coffee ever since the weather had decided that it was, in fact, winter.

“Going back up home, but only for a week. My mother insisted on that much despite how many times I told her I don’t really have the time. Why, what are you doing?”

“Staying here. I was hoping someone I actually liked would be here as well but so far I’m not having any luck.”

“You could come up to Alaska with me. Might do you some good to get out of here for a while.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Anana I can barely tolerate the cold we get here, I’m pretty sure if I went to Alaska I would actually die.”

“Baby,” she teased. “A day or two in the snow would do you good.”

“We have snow here,” he protested.

“Like two feet tops, that’s nothing. We barely ever get snow days.”

“Which is  _plenty_  thank you. I’d rather not be snowed in with no power.”

Anana rolled her eyes. “That hardly ever happens, even at home.”

“Whatever. So when are you leaving? Still want to do coffee even after classes are done for the semester?”

“Sure, coffee is still on. I’m leaving on the 21st, that Sunday before Christmas and coming back on the 30th, no way was I going to spend my first new year’s being able to drink up in Alaska.” She glanced up at the clock. “Shit, sorry but I have to go, I forgot I was meeting my advisor today. See you next week, Sergio.”

Three weeks later

“What do you mean all of the flights are cancelled? I have to get home,” she told the tired looking man at the ticket counter.

“I’m sorry the storm that’s coming in is too bad, all flights going west have been cancelled. You can try waiting it out but the storm is the worst we’ve seen in years and it isn’t expected to clear up until after Christmas.”

“No I have to be home by Christmas. I haven’t seen my family in months.”

“Well I’m sorry ma’am but I don’t have any control over this. If I could help you I would.”

She sighed, “I know and thanks I guess.”

The snow had just barely started when she had gotten to the airport but by the time she left it was falling thick and fast and by the time she was unlocking the door to her tiny apartment there was maybe 15 feet of visibility. It would be a perfect day for catching up on all of the TV she had missed during the semester but to her dismay it seemed that both the TV and internet were completely out of commission from the storm. Her DVD collection was pretty limited so she grabbed one at random and stuck it in and nestled down into her couch.

She hadn’t realized she had dozed off until she was jolted awake by the vibrating of her phone. She’d thought that it would be some disapproving message from one of her parents but no, it was a message from Sergio.

_Sergio Balleseros: Be happy you got out when you did the weather here is the actual worst right now._

_Anana Ashoona: Didn’t get out :( Flight got cancelled_

_Sergio Balleseros: Shit that sucks. Did you at least get back to your apartment?_

_Anana Ashoona: Yeah but the cable and internet are down so I’m bored out of my mind_

_Sergio Balleseros: Same. I’d offer to hang out or something but no way in hell am I going outside_

_Anana Ashoona: Baby_

_Sergio Balleseros: It’s an actual literal blizzard outside I’m being perfectly reasonable thank you_

She laughed a little to herself. It really wasn’t that bad out. Sure the snow wasn’t something she would want to drive in but walking wouldn’t be too bad. It was the perfect day to just sit down with hot chocolate and read, which was exactly what she was planning on doing. She got as far as pouring the milk for the hot chocolate into a mug before her phone buzzed again.

_Sergio Balleseros: Want to come over and watch movies or something?_

_Anana Ashoona: I literally just started making hot chocolate_

_Sergio Balleseros: So bring it with you and some for me_

She rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn’t venture out into the cold himself but expected her to. He was lucky he only lived in across the complex from her.

_Anana Ashoona: You’re lucky you have a better movie selection than I do. I’ll be over after the hot chocolate is done._

It was all too easy to picture the smirk that would be on his face as soon as he read the message. She had technically met Sergio at orientation when she’d gotten lost and he’d given her directions and then again when she’d set off the fire alarm in their building her freshman year but they hadn’t really gotten to know each other until her second semester when they had been in the same 7 A.M. chem lab. She had barely been able to stay awake until her started bringing her coffee. It had been then that their weekly lunch had become a thing and somewhere along the line they had become friends. And they had stayed friends even after _the incident_  that had happened her junior year.

The microwave beeped and after stirring in the chocolate powder, sugar, and cinnamon and pouring the drinks into travel mugs she was headed out to brave the cold. Which turns out wasn’t actually that bad since the buildings surrounding the courtyard blocked most of the wind. Once she reached apartment 2384 she banged on the door.

“Hurry the hell up Sergio, I only put on a light jacket and slippers,” she shouted.

 “Thought it wasn’t that cold?” he teased after opening the door for her.

“Oh shut up, you’re the one that refuses to go to class if there is more than an inch of snow on the ground. Do you want your hot chocolate or no?”

“Yes please.” After she handed it to him and he took a sip he sighed happily. “I swear you make the best hot chocolate, Anana. Um, just pick whatever movie, I’m going to change into something more comfortable.”

She grabbed one of the dumb action movies that seemed to be the only type of movie that he owned and stuck it in the DVD player before sitting down on the couch. Actually calling it a couch was being overly generous, it could fit two people, maybe three if personal space was thrown out the window.

“Die Hard, really? I pegged you for being more into traditional Christmas movies.”

“My little brothers have watched it every year since the year they turned ten, it  _is_  a traditional Christmas movie.”

He chuckled a little. “Fair enough I guess. Now are we going to just sit here or are we going to watch this movie?”

“Oh we’re going to watch the movie, and I intend to quote the whole thing.” But they had barely gotten 20 minutes into it when the TV went black.

“Did you sit on the remote?” she asked.

“No, it’s sitting on the table. I think the power might have gone out, it’s sure storming hard enough outside.” He glanced over at her. “Um I’ll go get some blankets, if this lasts it’s going to get real cold real fast.”

He got up and rummaged in the little closet in the apartment, seeming like he was fighting with the closet to get them out. Eventually emerged with no less than five thick blankets and a scowl on his face. He handed her a pair of them and then plopped back down on the couch.

“Sorry the movie didn’t work out, I didn’t think the power was going to crap out on us.”

She waved a hand “Nothing you could have done.”

After a few moments of awkward silence Sergio spoke up. “So, you ready to graduate? One more semester and you’re out of here.”

“Oh no we are not talking about that. If I had wanted awkward conversations about that I wouldn’t have put off going home.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright fine, what do you suggest we do?”

“I don’t know. You wouldn’t have any board games would you?”

“There were a couple left in the closet when I moved in. Checkers, a chess set that I’m pretty sure is missing some pieces, monopoly with like half of the money, scrabble, and a case of playing cards and poker chips. Oh and a dart board but I’m not sure where the darts are.”

“Just get checkers, I don’t want to have to put the effort into playing scrabble. Not to mention you would lose anyway, or find some way to cheat.”

“How do you cheat at scrabble?”

“I don’t know but I’m sure you’d manage it.”

“I resent that you know,” he said as he set the game up on his battered coffee table. “So what would you say about making this a little more interesting?”

Anana raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Strip checkers?”

“Asks the guy that whines whenever the temperature in his apartment drops below 78. You do know it’s a lot colder in here now, and is just going to get worse.” She was deflecting and she knew it. They had been doing perfectly fine as  _friends_  for years, even after the drunken mishap last Halloween. And really all that had been was two people blowing of steam, it hadn’t meant anything. Despite all of that she still felt herself beginning to blush.

“I happen to be amazing at checkers,” he said not even looking up at her. “I don’t plan on losing anything except maybe some socks.”

“So what you just want to see me strip?” She leaned over and, letting her impulses guide her, put a hand on his shoulder and said, “You know if that’s what you were after you could have just asked nicely.”

Sergio did a double take. “I, wait what?”

“Well obviously I find you attractive and I trust you enough, you really could have just asked, you idiot.”

“You would just–”

“Nope not now, you said strip checkers, so let’s do strip checkers.”

“You’re on.”

20 minutes later he was down to his boxers and tank top, shivering, and Anana could not have been more pleased. She was fine, sitting comfortably in her jeans and bra.

“Ready to give up? I’ll have you beat in three moves anyway,” she smirked. His eyes were darting frantically over the board, looking for an escape and seeing none.

“What happens if I give up?” he asked slowly.

“I get to use the handcuffs we both know you have stashed in your bedside table.”

His eyes flicked between her and the board and back again in rapid succession.

She could have sworn she heard him mutter something along the lines of “screw checkers” before he was kissing her and she was thinking that maybe being trapped at school for break wasn’t so bad after all.


	15. Flower shop AU: Sansa/Podrick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

When he had agreed to move into the apartment above the flower shop it had seemed like a pretty good deal. The rent was cheap and it was close enough to campus that it wasn’t much of a hassle when one of his advisors made him go check on things in the middle of the night. He had not factored in his allergies.

It had started two months ago when the new autumn plants had come in. At first he had assumed it was just the usual school crud he got whenever classes started up again but after three weeks he had known something else was going on. He might have even complained if his landlord had his landlord been anyone else. But no, his landlord was Sansa Stark and he could barely string a sentence together around her.

“Good afternoon Pod, how goes grad school?” she asked one day.

“Alright I suppose. What about you? With the flowers I mean, I know you aren’t in grad school.” He cursed himself silently. “Could I get some new ones, flowers?”

She smiled. “You never want flowers Pod, why the change?”

“To brighten up my balcony?” he shrugged.

“Fair enough, let’s see what all I can put together for you.”

In the end he ended up with a bouquet of white, purple, and yellow flowers. Sansa had told him the names but he couldn’t remember them. Unfortunately none of them were the ones he seemed to be allergic to. Soon it became tradition that every Tuesday after he was done with class he and Sansa would chat and he would get an all new arrangement of flowers.

After three months he finally figured it out. He didn’t really understand how but the flowers he was allergic to were the blue winter roses that Sansa kept mostly for herself and her aunt. He had a vase full of them on his little kitchen table and his eyes had not stopped watering since he had brought them in.

Despite his allergies he got another bouquet with the roses the next week. And the week after. 


	16. Touches: Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Abuse

He was used to people not giving a shit what happened to him. A few wrong words would bring a slap to the face, a few more a fist to the gut. Even as a child it had been rough hands shoving him along though the tests, or no hands at all other than the ones that handed him weapons. Eventually it’s his hands leaving the bruises or handing the weapons. It’s his hands that kill and torture. He’s the one raising his hand and making children cower. It’s his own hands that make him numb.

It’s hers that bring him back. She reaches out to touch his face and he recoils, but her touch is feather light and leave him wanting more. Her touches are caresses, not slaps, and come with reassurances that he is safe. When he wakes up in a cold sweat with his heart beating in terror it’s her voice and her touch that bring him back. And sometimes it’s her touches that make him smile.


	17. Accidental baby acquisition: Sergio/Anana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings needed

“We’re not keeping it around. We might have found a place to lay low for a while but Ilaria still wants us and we can’t exactly drop everything and run if we have it.”

Anana rolled her eyes. “That  _it_  is just a baby, Sergio, and a she, not an it.”

“The point still stands. It isn’t safe for us or her to be tied down like this. Ilaria wants to kill us, is it really fair to drag someone else down into this?”

“Well what are we supposed to do with her? Stick her in the system? That worked out so well for you and Miksa,” she snapped.

The muscles in his jaw twitched. “Fine, but first chance we get we are getting rid of her.”

* * *

She started calling her Malina after a week or so. The people that had originally had custody of the girl had called her Beatrice but there was no way she was about to let a child be saddled with that name for the rest of her life. Sergio had frowned at the name at first but had started using it as well within the past couple of days.

“We should probably get Malina something to sleep on other than an old arm chair,” she said, “It might help her sleep better.” It was the middle of the night and the sound of the baby crying had woken both of them up. The little girl had stopped crying when Sergio had picked her up but continued to wail loudly every time he tried to set her back down.

“And what are we going to do with it once we find a home for her?”

“I don’t know, we can give it to whoever takes her. That is if we can find anyone to take her. It’s been three months and we haven’t really had much success in that area.” Malina cried as he tried to set her down yet again. “See if she’ll stay quiet if we keep her up here.”

He frowned. “Is that even safe? What if one of us rolls over onto her?”

“Just try it she’ll be fine.”

He hesitated but eventually set the baby down next to her. And the little girl remained silent.

Anana sighed in relief. “Maybe now we can sleep.”

“Hopefully. Maybe we should get her a crib or something after all.”

* * *

The first time Malina had called Anana  _mama_  he had been taken aback. It made sense, she was more of a mother to the girl than anyone else. Hell, Anana even called herself mom when talking to the girl. That didn’t mean the word didn’t throw him for a loop. They were the girl’s caretakers, but it was only temporary, even if she had been with them for over a year now.

But that was very different than the first time she called him  _papa_.

“Why did she call me that?” he asked later that evening.

Anana was propped up against their peeling laminate counter watching as the little girl played with some of the toy cars that Tulok had sent a few weeks ago. “Call you what?”

“Dad, papa, whatever. I’m not- I can’t…” he trailed off. “I can’t be her father, Anana.”

“You love her and protect her and that’s enough. Not to mention you’re as close as she’s ever going to have to a father.”

“When we find her a real home she’ll have one,” he said knowing full well that it was an empty statement. The girl wasn’t going anywhere. Anana was too attached and if he was being honest with himself he was too. The situation was supposed to have been temporary but some five months or so after having her they had stopped putting any real effort into finding her a home.

“She does have a home, right here,” she said.

And he guessed she was right.

* * *

“Why are there so many forms, she’s starting kindergarten not joining the army,” Anana grumbled.

“It’s not like the information is accurate anyway.”

“Still helps to be somewhat accurate, easier to lie if the lie is based in truth. Speaking of which what should we put down as her last name? I figured my name was a no go since it’s very obviously Inuit and probably still on every Ilaria watch list out there.”

“Not like mine is any better. Hell mine is probably worse since everyone else around here has last names like Smith and Jones. Let’s just use yours, Malina Ashoona sounds better than Malina Balleseros anyway.”


	18. Christmas Abroad: Bucky/Bobbi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Off-screen mentions of canon typical violence
> 
> Bucky and Bobbi are on a mission and spend Christmas abroad
> 
> Wrote this back in December but forgot to put it up

They had been on the mission for nearly a month now, long enough for her to stop really keeping track of how many days it had been. It had been long enough that neither of them had realized it was Christmas Eve until they had tried to stop at a little café to get some food only to find it closed.

They had finally located their target the day before and had followed him to one of the old churches in the city. Rather than following him in and potentially being spotted she and Bucky had snuck quietly through the office building next door eventually ending up on the snow covered roof.

Looking down on cities was always such a surreal experience for her. It never looked real, only like a toy city that could be destroyed with a sweep of her hand. Next to her Bucky had cleared off a bit of the snow and was sitting completely still as his eyes followed people on the streets below.

The two of them had only been partnered for a dozen or so missions before this one and none of them had gone as smooth as this one seemed to be. Usually they were the ones sent after the crazy scientist types and those missions tended to go south fast, but this one hadn’t. Having some time to breathe was a luxury she was enjoying even if she did hate being out in the cold.

Next door the church bells played out their hourly tune followed by ten chimes to show the hour. As soon as the last chime echoed through the square below the streets began to fill with people. Old couples that hastily got into cabs and left, children dragging tiredly behind their parents, and in the center of all of them a former hydra scientist suspected of killing whole safe houses full of agents.

After spotting their target she glanced over to Bucky. He hadn’t moved an inch but there was a frown on his face that had not been there before. His eyes held the cold fury that she had only seen twice before.

“He’s one of them isn’t he?” she asked. It was the first time either of them had spoken since they had perched on the roof.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go get the bastard.”

For being a former hydra agent it was remarkably easy to break into the man’s house. The alley behind the house was littered with trash cans and more feral cats than she had ever seen before but after that things were remarkably easy. The man lived alone and the only security he had was a lock on the door and an alarm system she could have dismantled in her sleep.

The man’s death was not quick but it was quiet. Bucky’s metal arm ripped him out of bed by the throat and pinned him to the ground before the man was fully conscious. They questioned him for hours but it was only when Bucky’s voice took on a calculated tone she bowed out of the room and headed down the stairs.

His hands were covered with blood when he came down to the kitchen but he made no move to clean them. To get revenge like that, to feel some sort of justice for the horrible things that had happened, well she knew how good that blood could feel. She also knew how much of a weight it could be.

She ran the sink until the water felt like ice then ran a hand towel under that.

His expression was carefully neutral when she sat next to him and grabbed his hands with hers. It was only when she began wiping the blood away that he let himself show a hint of a smile.

“You don’t have to do this for me little bird,” he joked. “I can take care of myself.”

“Just shut up and let me help,” she snapped when he tried to take the hand towel from her.

 She was methodical about cleaning his hands, making sure there was no blood under the nails on the flesh hand or in the grooves of the metal one.

Their ride home wasn’t coming for another two days. Between a particularly bad storm in the states and the fact that it was the day before Christmas meant they would be staying in Paris for a little while longer but she found she didn’t mind.

The next day the streets were nearly deserted. It seemed everyone was at home with their families or out of town. The quiet was nice, peaceful even despite the fact that less than twelve hours ago she had been planning a man’s death. It was nice to be able to walk alone for a little while, away from the small hotel room, away from the reports that would need to be filed, away from the death and destruction that seemed to follow in her wake.

She had made a circle around the hotel three times before James fell into silent step beside her. His metal arm was concealed by a jacket and gloves but every now and then she could hear the soft whirr of it adjusting. It was the flesh and blood hand that slipped into hers, their fingers lacing together.

“I’m sorry you don’t get to be home for Christmas,” he said as they made their way back to the front entrance of the hotel.

“Don’t be. I’m not missing anyone.” She hesitated for a moment, her next words caught in her throat. “I’m glad I’ll get to spend Christmas with you, actually. There really isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be.”

“I was just thinking the same thing, little bird.”

* * *

 

Outside their hotel window the snow was falling in small flurries that would have been entirely invisible if not for the streetlamps. She watched it quietly and sipped at the champagne that they’d had sent up to the room earlier in the evening.  She heard him stir on the bed behind her.

“Bobbi? You okay?” his voice was hoarse from sleep.

“I’m fine.” And for once in her life she really meant it. Laying down next to him was easy; the weight of his arms around her remarkably soothing.

“Merry Christmas, little bird.” She was half asleep already and his face was pressed into the crook of her neck but the words were clear as day.

She turned enough to kiss him softly on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, James.”


End file.
